Do the Buccaneers have enough depth at edge rusher?

After trimming down their roster from 90 to 53, the Bucs elected to keep just five outside linebackers. Will that depth be enough?

The Buccaneers' big ticket, free agent acquisition at outside linebacker was Hassan Reddick. After a down year with the Jets, which featured a lengthy holdout, out Reddick is looking to get back to his Pro Bowl form. In fact, prior to last season, he had four straight years of double-digit sacks.

The Bucs are hoping his presence opposite of third-year stand out Yaya Diaby will lead to more production from their room. Last season, the Bucs' outside linebackers only produced 12 of the team’s 41 sacks. The defensive linemen on the team doubled that number and promoted the Bucs to move Larry Foote from inside linebackers coach to the outside in hopes of boosting production.

Do the Buccaneers need more help at edge rusher?

Of course, the Bucs were dealt an early blow in training camp when rookie outside linebacker David Walker was lost for the season to a torn ACL. Walker was anticipated to have a big role in the Bucs' pass rush rotation, a hole they have yet to fill.

Last year's second-round pick Chris Braswell, veteran Anthony Nelson and third-year edge rusher Markees Watts rounded out the roster. But is that enough behind the starters?

Braswell has yet to break out as a pass rusher, and while he has shown the ability to set the edge as a run defender and in coverage, you don’t draft an edge rusher in the second round for those abilities. The Bucs need more from Braswell, who recorded just one and a half sacks last year and one sack in the preseason in extended time. Not every team is flush with pass rushers, but there is some real concern should Reddick or Diaby get injured.

Nelson is as well-rounded and steady as they come, but isn’t a feared pass rusher. As for Watts, he made the 53 Man roster his rookie year, though an injury knocked him out of most of the last season. He’s shown good ability on special teams and has good speed and bend as a pass rusher, but has been plagued by inconsistent play on defense.

There are a few older options on the free agent market — Jadeveon Clowney and Z’Darius Smith, to name a few — but those options seem unlikely for the Bucs. However, they did make an addition to the team via the practice squad. 

The Buccaneers add another practice squad edge rusher

After the dust settled from roster cutdowns, the Bucks landed Mohamed Kamara, a former fifth-round pick in last year’s draft by the Miami Dolphins. Kamara is undersized but relentless in his pass rush. Coming out, his profile was similar to the Buccaneers' own Shaq Barrett, but also shares some similar qualities to David Walker as well. In fact, I had the Buccaneers selecting Kamara in the fourth round in my final mock draft last year and he was one of my best fits. Here’s what I wrote about him. 

"The undersized edge rusher wreaked havoc in the backfield with a quick get-off and an array of pass rush moves to get to the quarterback and ball carrier. He plays with aggression and a relentless motor to finish plays and uses great leverage and bend to attack the passer. However, due to his less-than-ideal length, he can get hung up by longer-armed tackles and will struggle to set the edge. Though he will fight to get off blocks and isn't easily washed out of plays. Kamara ended his college career with a staggering 45.5 tackles for loss, 30.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, three recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns."

The Bucs are really excited about the prospect of landing Kamara. They liked the edge rusher coming out of college, and getting him for the practice squad was seen as a coup. There’s a good chance he can overtake Watts for the fifth linebacker spot as soon as he gets up to speed. However, even with high hopes for Kamara and his ability to potentially find a spot in the rotation, it still doesn’t promote confidence should something happen to Diaby and Reddick.

The Bucs like their outside linebacker room, but the question still remains — is there enough depth should injuries occur? It’s too soon to give up on Braswell, but the answer right now is likely no.